A Woman at the Breaking Point: Players Club of Swarthmore Presents A DOLL'S HOUSE 2/10-25

The Players Club of Swarthmore presents the dramatic classic A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen Feb.10-25, for ten performances at 614 Fairview Ave. in Swarthmore. Directed by Deborah Braak, this version of A Doll's House contains a fresh new translation by Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). Buy tickets online atwww.pcstheater.org

In A Doll's House, Nora Helmer's world seems ideal: beautiful children, elegant home, and adoring husband. But Nora Helmer has secretly and deceptively borrowed money to pay for her husband, Torvald, to recover from illness on a sabbatical in Italy. What results is a woman pushed to the breaking point by the fear of being caught. Torvald's perception of Nora is of a silly, naive spendthrift, so it is only when the truth begins to emerge, and Torvald understands the initiative behind his wife, that terrible cracks appear in their marriage.

Ibsen, one of the world's genius playwrights, was a trailblazing and fearless analyst of human relationships. A Doll's House is the second in Ibsen's series of realist masterpieces, and immediately provoked controversy when it first premiered in 1879 with its apparently feminist message and exposure of the hypocrisy of Victorian middle-class marriage. Ibsen's themes still ring true today.

Experienced regional director Braak (Scotland Road, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Macbeth, A Piece of My Heart) has gathered a talented cast, including Lauren Kerstetter, Philadelphia (Nora), Steve Connor, Wilmington (Torvald), Michael Steven Schultz, Primos (Dr. Rank), Sara Orsi Scott, Elkins Park (Kristine), Ron Lee Jones, Philadelphia (Krogstad), and LeeAnne Mangano, Claymont, DE (Anna-Helene).

A Doll's House runs from Friday, Feb.10 through Saturday, Feb. 25. Thursday performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday andSaturday performances are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Audiences can meet the artists in a talkback discussion after the Feb. 19 performance. Buy tickets either online at www.pcstheater.org, by calling OvationTix at 866-811-4111, or at the door. For more information about PCS - including upcoming events, shows, ticketing and directions, visit www.pcstheater.org.